Today we are going to tell you all about the mother of the Flashing Lights singer Kanye West. Continue reading to learn more about the personal life and professional life of Kanye’s mom Donda West.
All you need to know about Donda West
Donda C. West was born on July 12, 1949, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. She was an American professor and chair of Chicago State University’s Department of English, Communications, Media, and Theater. She was the mother of the famous rapper Kanye West.
Ye’s mom was brought up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and she got her bachelor’s degree in English from Virginia Union University in the year 1971. Later on, she earned her doctoral degree from Auburn University in 1980.
Donda kickstarted her teaching career in the early 1970s at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Then, she started working at Chicago State University in 1980. She taught English at Nanjing University for a year as a scholar through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. She spent nearly 31 years at Chicago State, including 24 as head of the department of English, communications, media, and theater.
A statement from the university stated that Donda played a big role in establishing the university’s Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing “as an academic focus to teach writings of African-American authors and poets while fostering new literary talent.” She was also the chief executive of West Brands, the parent company of her son’s businesses.
Donda was married to Ray West
Donda tied the knot with Ray West in the year 1975. The couple welcomed their first and only child together Kanye on June 8, 1977. She raised Kanye in the Chicago area with her husband Ray. The pair separated in 1980 when Kanye was merely 3 years old.
Kanye’s mother retired in 2004 and moved to California to work full-time for her son. She was often seen out and about supporting her son at various events and occasions. She always stepped forward to defend her son Kanye over his controversial matters.
During a media interaction, Donda stated that her son Ye was built for greatness. She said, “There is no room for shyness. I raised him that way, to think critically and analytically and not be afraid to voice what you feel. I helped shape that. I think leaders are people who must do that.”
Donda West passed away in 2007
Donda left for the heavenly abode in the year 2007. She passed away on November 10, 2007. In January of 2008, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office stated that she died due to coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors from cosmetic surgery.
The police authorities held a proper investigation into her death after the doctor who operated on her had convictions for alcohol-related offenses and at least two major malpractice settlements.
Post his mom’s funeral, Kanye had his first concert at the O2 Arena in London on November 22 where he dedicated a song named Hey Mama to his mom Donda. Ye even named his tenth album Donda after his dear mom. The album dropped in 2021.
It seems like the mother-son duo was pretty close to one another. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.
